We've Never Been Strangers
by up side and down
Summary: Sephiroth is kicked out of ShinRa Manor in a small mountainside town to test his survival skills, but instead makes a new friend who is just as lonely as he is. But what happens when they grow up? Major AU, Genderswitching, and a mature rating. Full warnings inside
1. Chapter 1

**Disclamer: Final Fantasy VII is owned exclusively by Square Enix and I make no monetary profit from this writing**

**A/N: I haven't been posting in Good Doctor's Assistant because of this AU. I'm sorry it was too cute. So warnings: Fem!Cloud (don't you dare start bitching about it, you haven't even read it yet) Fluffy!Sephiroth (because my Sephiroth always comes out fluffy, even when I want him to be an asshole) there will be sex in the second chapter and general cuteness throughout. If you don't like this or are upset that I'm not working on Good Doctor's Assistant, then don't read it. It's that easy. **

* * *

In Sephiroth's mind, it would always remain a year of wonders. More things happened than he could possibly imagine and all of them combined performed a miracle: they made him so unbelievably happy. Not one of his later successes would ever stand up to the pure circumstance he had been lucky enough to be a part of in that year.

It started when Hojo let him out. Sephiroth had been outside before, but it was a place of mystery and no small amount of fear. In a sense, Sephiroth had been set free, but he had no instruction on what he had to do. He was barely eleven at the time.

The local children had been instructed by their parents to not interact with him if they could help it, so most of his time those first few days was spent wandering around the mountain by himself.

Then a few of the other children encroached upon his territory. He allowed it and used the time to watch them, to see what other children did. One of the younger ones caught his eye, not because he was the biggest or the best, but because the others kept pushing him away. He couldn't understand why. He was smaller than the others, but he could kick the ball just as well as the others. Then one of the older boys spoke.

"Girls don't play football Cloud," he said, "Go back to Tifa or something."

"I want to play," the little blonde one said.

"We don't play with girls," another said. Sephiroth watched the little blonde and realized that what he mistook for a small boy was actually a girl. Her forlorn face as the other boys ran off without her stuck with him. He followed her back to town to make sure she got there all right and watched her get nearly the same treatment from the girls because she wore pants and had dirt on her knees.

It took a few days more before Sephiroth plucked up the courage to actually try to speak to anyone. He spent much of it watching the little blonde move from group to group and always get rejected for some reason or another before finally going back to her house to watch them as Sephiroth did.

What changed their daily lives happened when the pushing escalated. Meaning the girl was actually shoved down when she tried to play football with the boys again. They laughed and jeered as mud from the melting Spring weather splashed on her face. One actually splashed more in.

Sephiroth found himself stepping in. All it took was his presence and they left her there. Sephiroth wasn't sure what he should say to the girl, but she didn't care at that point.

"What are you looking at?" she sniffed miserably. She started to tuck her knees into her chest, a sign Sephiroth knew meant she was very upset but was trying hard not to show it.

"Are you hurt?" Sephiroth asked. She merely fixed him with a cold blue stare behind the splatter on her face. Sephiroth took out one of the handkerchiefs the others made him carry around. Hojo was usually pretty upset if he came back despoiled. He squatted next to her and wiped off her cheek gently.

"It's coming off," he said as he offered her another one. She sniffed again and took it, wiping much more roughly than he had.

"Boys are stupid," she said.

"I am a boy," Sephiroth said.

"Then you must be stupid," she said, "here's your rag back." Sephiroth took it quietly and offered a hand. She refused it and got up on her own. She was still wiping her eyes as she walked away. Sephiroth was at her side with another white cloth.

"Here," he said. She shook her head.

"I don't need it," she said, "just leave me alone."

"What are you called?" Sephiroth asked.

"Not 'sposed to talk to strangers," the girl mumbled.

"Neither am I," Sephiroth said.

"So stop and leave me alone," she said.

"I don't want to be a stranger anymore," Sephiroth said, "People call me Sephiroth." The little girl stopped and looked up at him for a long moment.

"I'm Cloud," she said, "I have to go home now so..."

"Can I talk to you tomorrow?" Sephiroth asked.

"Why?" Cloud asked.

"Because I like talking to you," Sephiroth said, "and you talk to me." Cloud shrugged then ran off before Sephiroth could ask anything else.

* * *

Sephiroth waited for Cloud to come back. He watched her wave goodbye to her mother and look around at the other children, already pointedly ignoring her. She started walking up towards where he usually lurked.

He felt nervous all of a sudden. He didn't know what he was going to say to her. He walked around, having nothing better to do. She came up to where she had seen him the day before. She kept her distance.

"So..." she said, "Are we going to talk or what?" She shoved her hands into pockets in pants that were at least a size too big. The waist had been rolled up several times.

"...What did you want to speak about?" Sephiroth asked. She rolled her eyes.

"When you said you wanted to talk I thought that meant you had, you know, a subject," she said. Sephiroth made no move. He felt he had ruined his chance.

"Do you at least read?" she asked. Sephiroth's list of books was small, but it was a place to start because Cloud had read all of them and more. Sephiroth looked at the fount of knowledge of before him who stood a good foot or so below him.

"How old are you?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud hesitated.

"Six and a half," she said. Sephiroth wouldn't have been surprised had she bumped up age by a few months, but let her lie to him.

"How do you know all this?" Sephiroth asked.

"My Mom knows stuff," Cloud said, "We read together a lot too."

"Why don't the other kids like you?" Sephiroth asked. Her eyes turned cold again, they had grown bright and animated while she was talking about books.

"Why don't they like you?" she countered.

"Because I'm not completely human," Sephiroth said, "that's what I've been told." She looked a little shocked by that.

"No wonder you're so stupid," she said, "you live with morons."

"You don't think they told the truth?" Sephiroth asked.

"Not unless you can prove it," she said. Sephiroth stared at her for a long moment. Then he jumped. He landed on a ledge over twenty feet up. Cloud stared up at him.

"Woah," she said.

"I told you," Sephiroth said.

"What else can you do?" she said.

"...You're not...afraid?" Sephiroth asked.

"No, that's awesome!" Cloud said, "You should have started with that!" Sephiroth spent the next few hours running circles around Cloud, performing some low level magic, and jumping around. She thought it was "cool".

"How do you do it?" Cloud said.

"I don't know," Sephiroth said, "I guess they made me that way."

"Do you know if I could do it?" Cloud asked.

"You don't want to," he said, "Not right now anyway."

"Why not?" Cloud asked.

"I'll tell you another time," Sephiroth said.

"It hurts doesn't it?" she said. Sephiroth nodded solemnly.

"I can show you some other things though," Sephiroth said. She looked up.

"Like what?" Cloud asked.

"Have you ever heard of kata?" Sephiroth asked, "I can show you some." Cloud's face lit up and Sephiroth swore her eyes were as bright as his was.

* * *

Spring was a season of discovery for both the girl and the boy. Cloud learned fighting stances, sword pattern dances, strength training, and basic self-defense. She loved it. She loved getting sweaty and sore. Sephiroth got glimpses of the imaginary world Cloud would wrap herself in out of loneliness. He thought it was amazing.

Cloud had so much knowledge of the world, but had seen so little of it, so she made it up. Sephiroth thought her own guesses were more interesting than what the real thing could ever be.

She picked a slightly comical figure, oversized clothes on her very slim and tiny figure, hair that stuck up wildly and uncontrollably, and big blue eyes. But her voice was arresting. Her speech was slow and mildly poetic. Had she been a little older, Sephiroth might have accepted her musings as pure truth.

One day, Cloud brought a book. It was so huge she had to haul it up the hill to Sephiroth, huffing and puffing with the effort.

The ended up lying on the ground looking at maps inside. They were of some fantasy land, for the stories told within the tome. She knew them so well, she illustrated the journeys of her favorite characters using only the maps.

"I wanted to be a knight when I was little," she said.

"You still are little," Sephiroth said.

"Hey!" she protested.

"It's true," Sephiroth said defensively.

"Well..." Cloud protested weakly, "when I was smaller." Sephiroth looked at the illustration provided for the illustrious knight.

"I think you would have made a good knight," he said.

"Only boys were supposed to be knights though," Cloud said sadly.

"Why?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud was a good student. She wasn't as good as him, but she had just started.

"I don't know," she said, "boys get to do all the fun stuff. I wish I was a boy sometimes."

"You're not that much different from me," Sephiroth said.

"People think I'm weird because I don't want to do...girl stuff," Cloud said, "and my Mom lets me do what I want, so they don't like her either."

"That's...stupid," Sephiroth said. Cloud stared at him for a long, long moment. Then she burst out laughing. Tears rolled down her face from the force of her mirth as she rolled around, clutching her gut.

"Cloud? Are you alright?" Sephiroth asked. She started laughing again.

* * *

Summer was a time when they both agreed they were friends. Cloud had stopped even pretending she wanted anything to do with the stupid boys in the village and went directly to the stupid boy on the mountain.

"Eww, gross!" Cloud said wiping her face off.

"That's what you did to me," Sephiroth protested.

"I did not!" Cloud said, "You kissed me! That's gross!"

"What's the difference?" Sephiroth asked.

"I just tapped your face with my cheek," Cloud said, "you put your gross boy lips on me!"

"People use this as a greeting?" Sephiroth asked.

"It was just a hug, dummy!" Cloud said, "not some nasty kiss."

* * *

Fall was the wettest and warmest in Nibelhiem history. It rained for a solid week and it did not freeze. Sephiroth awaited on his hilltop for Cloud to come up to him in her two-size-too-big galoshes and raincoat. She kept pushing up the sleeves, but was no less animated. Sephiroth was loath to take her inside the Mansion and have her meet Hojo so they moved further into the mountains and found a cave system.

There they began an adventure that Sephiroth would never match again. It was mostly the imagination of two lonely souls, but it was so vivid and powerful that they didn't bother to separate the reality from the game.

They had mapped out sections of the tunnels, the most notable section being a mako fountain they had stumbled upon nearly by accident. It had taken Cloud's breath away. Naturally it was marked with an X. Sephiroth never knew what the next day would bring. One day they were knights searching for a lost kingdom, the next they were pirates looking for a place to bury their treasure. It was never exactly the same and creating the scene was all part of the fun.

Then one day they exited to find their usual path had been washed away in mudslide.

"Mom's gonna kill me," Cloud said.

"She has to be able to get to you first," Sephiroth noted.

"Trust me, she can find a way," Cloud said. Sephiroth looked around for a moment before he found a semi-safe way down.

"I can't climb that!" Cloud protested, "there's a least a ten foot drop between two steps!"

"I could carry you," Sephiroth said, "my maximum weight load is currently around 175 lbs. I'm certain you aren't that heavy."

"No way, I'm not letting you pick me up," Cloud said.

"It's either that or wait for someone to find us," Sephiroth said. Cloud whimpered slightly but gave in.

"Climb on my back," Sephiroth said, "That way my arms are free." Cloud did it, being hardly a burden to him as he started his descent. After a brief survey of his route he decided a controlled freefall would be best. He dropped the first ten feet, stopping himself as he heard Cloud shriek.

"Don't drop me," she said.

"I won't," Sephiroth said. Her grip tightened. Sephiroth went through the falls quickly and carefully. Cloud hid her face against his shoulder the entire time, only making small scared noises. She shook slightly when Sephiroth let her down.

"If you tell anyone about me screaming," Cloud started.

"I won't," Sephiroth said.

"It stays a secret," Cloud said firmly.

"Our secret," Sephiroth agreed. Cloud's shrieking wasn't the only one he got to hear that day. The mountainside wasn't the only place flooded out. Parts of the town were washed out, but it was mostly intact. Cloud's mother had been frantic with worry, thinking Cloud had been swept away.

"Ma, I'm alright," Cloud moaned, "you don't have to cause a scene."

"I'll do what I please, young lady," Mrs. Strife said. Sephiroth caught Cloud mumbling, "nota lady" under her breath as he rejoined some of the lab staff at the meeting at the inn (the town hall had been flooded).

"Where have you been?" Mrs. Strife demanded.

"We were just checking out the caves," Cloud said, then she froze. One look at Sephiroth's face told her she might have just messed up.

"We?" Mrs. Strife demanded. Cloud swallowed. Everyone was following the conversation, but she dared not lie to her mother.

"Sephiroth and I," Cloud said. Hojo looked down at Sephiroth then over at the blonde.

"Well I found them," Cloud said, "and Sephiroth was already inside so...we decided to explore them...together." Hojo bought the white lie.

"Really," Hojo sneered, "and you chose her as a guide because?"

"She knew the layout better than I did," Sephiroth said truthfully (Cloud did have the map on her after all), "and I could see better. She didn't hinder me." Hojo nodded thoughtfully, processing Sephiroth's decision. Apparently it didn't garner his full derision because he let it go.

Over the growing crowd Cloud mouthed a "sorry". Sephiroth nodded in reply.

* * *

Cloud and Sephiroth parted ways since both of their homes (or places where they slept) were unscathed from mud and water. Hojo was dismissive as ever and that began a preamble to the next wonder, albeit in a roundabout way.

"The locals are getting too friendly with you," Hojo mused, "unless you can convince them to stay away I will have to limit your time outside." Sephiroth was crushed. No more Cloud, no more pretend, no more adventures. He had never felt the urge to cry until that moment, but held it back. He hated to think about what would happen to Cloud if Hojo found out they were friends.

"Cloud I can't see you anymore," Sephiroth said the next day, wanted to sever their ties quickly. Cloud snorted. She was as stubborn as ever.

"Why?" she asked.

"I was sent outside to fend for myself, not to...play," Sephiroth said. Cloud rolled her eyes.

"A typical stupid boy reason," she said.

"Hojo said I can't interact with you anymore," Sephiroth said.

"Do you always do what Hojo says?" Cloud asked.

"Yes," Sephiroth said.

"And therein lies the root of your boyish stupidity," Cloud sighed. Sephiroth knew she only knew what half of those words meant.

"Why can't we keep doing this?" Cloud asked.

"I'm...I'm not meant to be human," Sephiroth said, "I'm an experiment. I'm made to kill things." Cloud knew that already.

"So why'd they make you look human?" Cloud countered. Sephiroth took pause.

"I mean...if you aren't supposed to interact with us lowly humans then why make you look like you could pass as one?" she asked again. Sephiroth took the notion to Hojo and the miracle occurred. After several hours of thinking it over, Hojo tried his next experiment: he kicked Sephiroth out of the Mansion and told him to find his own place to live for a few days.

There was only one place Sephiroth knew to go to. Cloud met him at her garden gate.

"They told me to find somewhere to stay," Sephiroth started. Cloud said nothing else and took his hand to lead him inside.

"Ma!" she called, "Seph needs a place to stay!" Cloud's mother came in and looked Sephiroth up and down.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They said he had to find his own place to stay," Cloud said.

"Let him explain Cloud," Mrs. Strife said. She was leery about the strange looking boy, but Cloud seemed to like him a lot, enough to spend every day with him.

"I have to find someplace to live for the next few days," Sephiroth said.

"And I say mission accomplished," Cloud said.

"Cloud," Mrs. Strife warned, "If you want to stay here you can, Sephiroth." He nodded.

"Sleepover!" Cloud sang out.

"What is that?" Sephiroth asked.

"Dummy. It means that you are sleeping over at my house," Cloud said.

"Give him your room, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said, "You can sleep with me."

"Okay," Cloud called back. Mrs. Strife stayed near the doorway to hear their conversation.

"It's kinda small, and a little messy," Cloud was saying, obviously about their home.

"I like your house," Sephiroth said, "What do we do at a sleepover?"

"I dunno," Cloud said, "I've never had one either."

A sleepover ended up meaning, looking around Cloud's house and seeing what sort of things were inside of it. He was disinterested in their television. The picture was fuzzy and went out every half hour unless someone smacked it. Mrs. Strife was nice enough to show him some books filled with photographs. A great majority were of Cloud as an infant and a toddler.

"Not much appears to have changed," Sephiroth noted. That earned him a kick in the shin. Cloud's hair was almost exactly the same, wild and sticking up at every angle. Her eyes were the same vibrant blue. The only thing that changed was her size.

Cloud fumed at him for a few minutes, but the thought of actually having a sleepover proved too exciting and she forgave him after her trademark insult. Mrs. Strife permitted them to go outside, but demanded they stay within calling distance. Cloud said Sephiroth's hearing range counted so perhaps it was a bit farther than Mrs. Strife had anticipated. Sephiroth learned the joys of puddles and mud. Hojo hated dirt and dust, but there was something rather satisfying after a good splash. Cloud brought them a few sticks and thew drew pictures and messages in the mud to be used at a later date. They were on their way back before Mrs. Strife even called.

Sephiroth hadn't eaten anything like what Mrs. Strife had prepared for dinner. He simply hadn't been exposed to homemade meals before. Even the vegetables were better. Mrs. Strife decided Sephiroth was alright in her book when he asked for seconds and chowed them down.

The rest of the evening proved more fun. Sephiroth had no spare clothes, but Cloud and Mrs. Strife dug some sleep clothes from somewhere and they were...soft. The curfew Mrs. Strife attempted to enforce was ignored in favor of a large tome Sephiroth recognized and Cloud adored.

Sephiroth awoke in front of it, not quite remembering what had happened. He remembered listening sleepily to Cloud's imaginary tale and then...

He looked to his left and saw Cloud curled up next to him. He hadn't seen her sleep before and it was enough to give him pause.

He decided then that Cloud was beautiful.

"Come on," a voice said above him. Mrs. Strife leaned down to pick up her daughter, too sleepy to even stir at the action. Sephiroth watched the young girl groan and embrace her mother. He had forgotten how young she was, or even that he was the elder of the two.

"Go on up to bed," Mrs. Strife said. Sephiroth nodded.

"Good night," he said.

"Mmm...night Seph..." Cloud mumbled in her sleep.

"Good night Sephiroth," Mrs. Strife said, "Sleep tight." That evening, Sephiroth had no problems with that directive.

* * *

Winter was freezing. The snow came hard and once it stopped the wind howled at almost every hour. Hojo had let Sephiroth back in at nights, but still had him go outside to see how well he withstood the cold.

Sephiroth didn't care. The cold was unpleasant, but not deadly for him. Besides, once he was out of sight he was free to enter the Strife residence where Cloud would be waiting for him. Mrs. Strife put them to work to earn their keep, mostly by chopping wood, but it became a competition between them. Sephiroth always won, because Cloud hated it when Sephiroth let her win. The traditional Strife payment for their hard labor was a warm concoction Cloud called hot chocolate. Sephiroth had not experienced chocolate before, but would drink the brown liquid all day if he could.

The ventured back out on the days when the Sun beseted the clouds and the wind slowed and stopped. The other children threw snowballs and snowpeople, some attempting to sled. Cloud didn't have a sled, though it was obvious she would have liked to join them. Instead she and Sephiroth made an army of mutant snowmen, one's with two heads and four arms and prepared a final suicide attempt to fight them off of Cloud's doorstep.

For Mrs. Strife, that sight was hilarious.

Sephiroth wasn't sure when they had become so close that physical touch became normal. It wasn't strange or awkward when Cloud slung a thin arm around his shoulder to explain what stupid phrase had just left his mouth. Playful shoving was accepted and fully encouraged, given that Sephiroth never used his full strength on Cloud. It was common to see the pair whispering some strange secret into each others ears. They were practically joined at the hip.

Spring came again, as did the boys with the football and the snobbish girls in their dresses. The duo paid them no mind, and picked up their games precisely where winter had cut them off. Cloud fit into her clothes a little more, Sephiroth stood a little taller, but their roles remained the same.

Sephiroth had gotten to experience the joy of Cloud's seventh birthday (a small private party) when Hojo stated they were leaving.

Leaving? He couldn't. What was he supposed to do without Cloud? Cloud. She was his only friend, and he hers. He couldn't just leave like that. Yet, that's what Hojo insisted would happen.

For the first time, Sephiroth snuck out to go see Cloud.

"They said that we're leaving," Sephiroth said. Cloud said nothing, choking back tears. She knew it would happen, that it was too good to last and she'd be alone again. It still hurt.

"I don't want to go," Sephiroth said, "I love you Cloud." She made a forced laugh.

"No you don't dummy," she said.

"Yes I do," Sephiroth said, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Cloud thought a moment, then came up with a plan.

"Then you have to go," she said, "You have to leave. Then one day I'll follow you and we'll be the same."

"I'll write to you," Sephiroth continued, "and you'll write back once you find out where I am." Cloud nodded.

"We'll be knights," Sephiroth said, "you and I. Saving the kingdom together."

"That's just a story dummy," Cloud said.

"It doesn't have to be." Cloud locked him in a hug before letting him go. It was only when she went to Sephiroth's hill and he wasn't there waiting for her that she let herself cry. She couldn't let that stupid boy see them yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Second verse, same as the first**

**A/N: Just to reiterate: Cloud is a woman, with tits and a vagina and everything. Sephiroth is really OOC. Zack is pretty much himself. There is sex below. If this irks you...don't fucking read it. Peace out.**

* * *

Cloud was subdued and quiet. Mrs. Strife could see the effects of loneliness on her poor child and struggled not to glare at her neighbors who had coached their children to stay away from that weird Strife girl. Cloud was a girl who wanted to do boy things. That was not a crime. The only person who had understood that was the boy with the scientists. She agreed he looked strange, but he had been a good friend for Cloud.

Still, it came as a surprise when she emptied their mailbox and found an extra letter among their usual bills. A letter addressed to Miss Cloud Strife. It had come all the way from Midgar. Could it possibly be?

"Cloud!" she yelled.

"What!" Cloud yelled back.

"Mail for you!" Cloud nearly jumped down the stairs in her fervor to get that letter.

"Is it from Seph?" she asked.

"Open it and find out," Mrs. Strife said. Cloud did so, taking care that nothing got ripped. Whoever the letter had come from had written a full three pages. A secret glance at the last page revealed it was signed Sephiroth. Well, well, well, he kept his promise after all.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed and looked around the barrack halls. It had been years since he left Nibelheim, but he still had memories of a vivacious six-year-old girl and her wild imagination. None of the boys and men he had met with had ever captured his interest like that.

"Corporal Sephiroth?" Sephiroth turned to face a Turk. The Turk he had bribed to receive letters for him to keep Hojo in the dark about what he had done in Nibelheim. The letter was slipped in surreptitiously beneath orders for his commanding officer. It was easy to slide it in his pocket after that.

Once he had some privacy he slid it open carefully, hoping that Cloud hadn't forgotten him and still wanted to keep doing this. He thrived on her letters.

_"Dear Stinkbrain Sephiroth,"_ it began and all worries vanished. She had even slipped in a picture to go with her woes about having braces.

Metalmouth Cloud was still just as beautiful as he remembered.

* * *

_"I'm going to war, I won't be able to write for awhile."_

***  
_"I found our special hiding spot in the caves. The fountain's still there." _

***  
_"I'm being promoted."_

***  
_"I can't stand living here anymore."_

***  
_"I hate being a General." _

***  
_"I'm going to be a SOLDIER with you."_

* * *

Sephiroth sighed as he viewed the hopefuls before him. It was always depressing to watch them fizzle out and drop in number until only those deemed fit for SOLDIER remained. The process in Midgar was terrible, no wonder he was always short on men.

The process in Junon, headed by the rambunctious Lieutenant Fair, was quite remarkable. All of the men under Fair jumped directly to Second Class without a problem. They were the best of the best and they all started no differently than the Midgar lot. Sephiroth made a mental note to make another attempt to shut their cadet program down and rely solely on Fair's method.

Lately the Lieutenant rambled on and on about one cadet he was fond of.

"We got a group of girls, as I'm sure you've heard," Zackary Fair said, as if they had been friends for years instead of merely meeting perhaps two years ago, "What a scandal, but these ladies kick fucking ass, especially the little one. You'd like her sir, tough as nails and sweet as pie."

"Fair," Sephiroth warned.

"Just hear me out," Zack said, "I'm coming back to Midgar in about a week and I'm bringing her since she's the tippy top of the current class. I'd say she's Second material now. Just meet her once and tell me what you think."

"Fine Fair," Sephiroth said, "if that is all."

"Yup, over and out," Zack said. Sephiroth sighed and opened his desk drawer, the one where he had kept each and every one of Cloud's letters. He fingered the last one, where Cloud said she was going to be a SOLDIER like it or not.

Sephiroth hoped she was in Zack's group.

* * *

Cloud was roused by her semi-deep sleep by an arm around her neck and a fist in her hair for a world-famous Zackary Fair noogie.

"Ahh!" she shrieked, "Stop it! Zack!" The man himself laughed and did not stop.

"Make me," he challenged. It took a few seconds to get the seatbelt undone, but Cloud had him trapped in her arm with a taste of his own medicine in fairly decent time.

"Okay, okay, I give," Zack said. Cloud let him go and tried fixing her lost cause of a hair-style while giving Zack with a glare.

"Why did I ever agree to come with you of all people," she grumbled.

"Because SOLDIER Second Class Cloud Strife has a nice ring to it," Zack replied.

"I does, doesn't it," she said, "We in Midgar?"

"Yup," Zack said, "Come on. I'll show you around before I make ya meet the boss man." It took a solid hour and Cloud felt eyes on her that had learned to turn away in Junon. She was a woman and she was going to be a SOLDIER whether they wanted her or not. No just couldn't be an option.

In Junon she had pushed herself harder than anyone, dragging her sore and tired body to the top without a single bitch about it. That had gleaned Lieutenant Fair's attention. She had no idea what had kept it besides her charming personality, but was glad enough. Zack was quite likable when he wanted to be.

Zack kept checking his watch and glancing around until he finally ushered Cloud into what he called the executive elevator. Good god it was glass.

"I'm gonna throw up in this thing," Cloud muttered.

"No you're not, now face me," Zack demanded. He started preening her like a mother hen.

"Stop it," Cloud said.

"No," Zack said, "I want you to make a good first impression."

"I will," she said, "but there isn't a force in this world that can tame this beast."

"I just...I want you in Cloud," Zack said. She blinked at him. "You're like the little sister I never had. I want you to be a SOLDIER. You'd be amazing and the first girl we've ever had."

"I will Zack," Cloud said forcefully, "nothing can make me change my mind." Zack nodded, recovering his normal, cheery disposition.

"Course you will," Zack said as if he hadn't been playing mother to her about three seconds ago." She rolled her eyes as the elevator slid to a stop. Zack led her out.

"Now remember, be respectful," Zack said, "and don't feel awkward in the silences because he's just thinking. And-"

"Zack," Cloud said, "you're doing it again."

"Right," Zack said, knocking on the door marked General. Cloud didn't get a chance to finish reading the name plate before Zack shoved her in quite unceremoniously. She lost her footing as she hit a warm body. They hit the floor together with a soft grunt. Cloud picked herself up quickly.

"I'm so sorry sir, I-" her breath caught in her throat as she saw a face straight from the happiest days of her life.

"Seph?" she said.

Sephiroth caught sight of Lieutenant Fair before the door slammed shut and a blonde thing ran into him. It was enough of a surprise to get him to fall, but not to cause actual pain. The little blonde thing scrambled up, already apologizing when-

"Cloud," he said softly. They stared at each other for a long while before Cloud remembered she was kind of preventing him from getting up.

"Is it really you?" Sephiroth asked. She looked so different...so much more...

Beautiful.

"Seph..." Cloud said, "I found you." He smiled as he sat up. They stared at each other before breaking out into tiny fits of laughter. Sephiroth knew it was the Cloud of old when she flung herself around his shoulders.

"I missed you," she said.

"I always knew you would come," Sephiroth said. They pulled away, laughing again.

"What's going on?" They looked up at Zack, who looked horrified.

"Might want to sit down, Zack," Cloud said.

"It's a long story," Sephiroth said.

* * *

Sephiroth couldn't take his eyes off Cloud. He just...couldn't believe the transformation. All of the pictures she had sent, from her first day of school to braces to an awkward school dance hadn't even hinted at what she would look like. She had always just looked like Cloud, just a taller, ganglier Cloud.

This was an angel, an angel with Cloud's voice.

He let Cloud tell the tale to Lieutenant Fair since she had always had a way with words and simply watched her. Her major identifiers remained unchanged. Her hair was still wild and her eyes were still that stunning shade of blue. It was the rest of her that changed. She had grown taller, but Sephiroth still had a good foot on her. Her body had finally filled out and fit itself. Cloud had bitched and moaned that she hated her breasts, but they fit her so divinely, making her body flow in a delicious curve.

Her very skin seemed to glow. She was lucky to have clear skin, dotted with a few freckles, but remaining mountain region pale.

Cloud's tone and inflections hadn't changed one bit. It was the same Cloud, the one who wove their adventures on the spot and still made it seem like a grand plan. Everytime Cloud glanced over Sephiroth could see she was happy he was there.

Fair took it remarkably well. He seemed a little shocked about the coincidence, then shook it off with a grin.

"And here I was thinking I had a regular prodigy on my hands," Zack said, "Instead I have a student of General Sephiroth himself."

"I'm still a prodigy," Cloud argued, "Seph didn't teach me everything."

"...You call him Seph..." Zack said.

"I'll say sir in public-" Cloud started.

"There's no need for that here," Sephiroth said quickly. Zack laughed at them.

"Well then, you two just made Cloud's introduction tomorrow that much easier," Zack said.

* * *

Sephiroth begged to differ. He felt that questioning her abilities was uncalled for. She held her own in the basic training exercises, matching and surpassing Third Class SOLDIERs despite having little to no enhancements.

No one quite stepped up for some one on one work so she was stuck with Zack.

"She's got a nice ass at least."

Sephiroth felt murderous and stifled the urge to even face whoever the speaker was. Cloud was not something to ogle at. She...she...

"Lieutenant Fair," Sephiroth called. Zack and Cloud halted their drill.

"May I?" he asked.

"Of course sir," Zack said, "like I taught you Cloud." She nodded and saluted politely.

"Corporal Strife," he greeted.

"Please go easy on me sir," Cloud said, earning a few chuckles. He sparred politely with her, merely testing the waters.

"Ready for more?" he asked.

"Certainly, sir," Cloud replied. Then sparks began to fly. Sephiroth began to hesitate when he saw Cloud sweating, but she gave him a reassuring smile.

Then she lunged, an excellent use of her short stature. It was easy for him to flip it against her however. She ended up on the ground beneath him.

He could feel her. The weight of her breasts were up against his chest and her hip was oh so close to...

Cloud tapped out, surrendering. Sephiroth snapped out of it and leapt up offering her a hand.

"Excellent form Corporal," Sephiroth said, "You've been well taught."

"Thank you sir," Cloud said. All Sephiroth could think was that no one should be allowed to feel Cloud in that way. Ever.

* * *

Sephiroth thought of Cloud at nearly all hours. No matter how urgent or important his current task was (or wasn't), Cloud would slowly permeate into them until he caught himself.

Her form haunted his waking hours and he nearly ached to feel her pressed up against him again. How soft would her skin feel against his? He remembered her scent so clearly, a strange mix of smoke and musty old pages. He caught himself wondering once if she would taste similar or if she would be as sweet as she looked.

But he kept his distance for now. Cloud was proving herself and he had already given his seal of approval.

"Seph."

Sephiroth looked up at the informal usage of his name from a very male voice. Zack winced sheepishly.

"Hey, Cloud calls you that so I figured it was worth a shot," he said. Zack kept talking to keep the admonishment at bay.

"Some of the other Seconds and Firsts are going out tonight and I figured I'd take Cloud as a get to know you sort of thing," Zack said, "I figured...you and Cloud seem pretty tight so consider the invitation extended." There was a long pause.

"Where?" Sephiroth asked. Zack would have choked, Sephiroth never did anything not work related. Ever.

"Uh...Sector Six at 7 o'clock."

* * *

Zack hadn't been 100 percent certain that Sephiroth would really show up. A few of the other guys did give Cloud the stink eye, but a lot of the veterans approved of her choice of beer. That helped some.

Zack did choke when a head of silver did walk in, insist they all sit back down, and took a seat next to his favorite student.

He had never witnessed such a fluid relationship. He only caught bits and pieces of their conversations, but Sephiroth and Cloud really seemed to like each other. They looked like they were connected on the same brainwave, able to break away as someone else asked for their attention and pick right up when they were free again.

Zack was tempted to check under the table to make sure they weren't joined at the hip.

Zack could hardly believe his ears when Cloud finagled a free dinner out of Sephiroth in the next week for both her and himself. Sephiroth seemed just as pleased with that.

"The wee prodigy and the General appear to have some things in common," one of the vets mentioned as they were leaving.

Zack decided then his next role was not partner, but matchmaker.

* * *

Sephiroth was breathing heavy when he finally reached the sanctuary of his home. Cloud's smiling visage was stuck deeply in his mind's eye and refused to leave. He would conjure it up regardless at this moment.

He moved almost involuntarily, not quite in control of all his actions. He felt himself stripping of clothes, but didn't care. He knew he should feel some guilt at stimulating his already hardening cock, but his brain was working on his current fantasy.

He had barely begun, merely fantasizing about touching and tasting Cloud's skin and perfect mouth, when he climaxed. He gave a sharp moan as his knees gave out and surrendered to it.

It took a moment before he was able to come up with words again, but the first one to escape his lips was a softly breathed, "Cloud".

* * *

Sephiroth grimaced and turned away from his bathroom mirror for the tenth time. Cloud and Zack would be coming over within the next fifteen minutes and there was nothing more he could do to get a better impression from Cloud.

His apartment was spotless. Dinner was cooked. He had washed and conditioned his hair. If he wanted to look any better he would have to put on the one suit he owned, but knew that would be overkill.

He sighed and started rearranging the napkins again.

* * *

Zack grinned. Cloud was bent over the one available sink try oh so desperately to get as much dirt and blood out of her hair and face as possible.

"Why did I have to come along on this mission?" Cloud demanded angrily, "I told you tonight was the night we would have dinner with Seph. God I smell like intestines."

"No you don't," Zack said, "Get in a shower, we have time."

"I said we'd meet Sephiroth in ten minutes!" Cloud said as Zack pushed her in.

"He'll be okay if we're a few minutes late," Zack said. Inwardly he was pleased. He left to go make the other preparations for the evening.

* * *

Sephiroth watched his clock tick past the time Cloud had said she'd come by. He fidgeted nervously as no sign of either Zack or Cloud appeared. He shot to his feet when there was finally a knock at his door. Sadly it was only Zack when he opened the door.

"Cloud's trying to dry out her hair," Zack said nonchalantly, "she should be coming by-"

"ZA~CK!" Cloud yelled as she rounded the corner.

"Right now," Zack said. Cloud slugged him in the shoulder.

"You said you'd watch to make sure no one could see," she said.

"But I'm hungry," Zack said pathetically. Cloud's hair was still drooping and moist, but already was attempting to defy gravity. Sephiroth ushered them in with relief.

"You look nice," Sephiroth said.

"Thanks," Zack said.

"Not you," Sephiroth countered. Cloud laughed silently behind Zack's back.

Score 1 for the matchmaker, Zack thought.

* * *

Dinner was easy. Sephiroth really only knew how to make pasta, but he was good at it. Cloud managed to entertain all of them with her version of the mission Zack had let her shadow, but had still managed to cover her with monster insides. Zack gave her a noogie and waited for part two of his evil scheme.

His PHS rang and he answered with hidden glee. Outwardly he winced when the message came in.

"I've been called out," he lied, "They want a First out there just in case and I pulled the short stick. Do you mind walking Cloud back?"

"I don't need someone to walk me back," Cloud said.

"I don't mind," Sephiroth said. Zack called it a win.

* * *

Sephiroth realized as the time grew later and later that he didn't want Cloud to leave. He wanted her to stay.

He loved that she could make her rather ordinary journey to Junon and then to Midgar seem like a grand quest. She had nearly been hazed out when Zack picked her out when she was just fourteen. He trained her up and she became one of the best.

Sephiroth felt a strange jealousy against the Lieutenant.

"I've never had a brother," Cloud said, "but I guess if I did, I hope he'd be like Zack."

"What would that make me?" Sephiroth asked. He couldn't help himself.

"That makes you, you. Moron," Cloud said. Sephiroth laughed.

He felt sad when Cloud said curfew was coming soon and she had to go. He did walk her back and the conversation kept going. Cloud shouldn't go back, back to those men who didn't understand that she was an angel. He felt mild relief when Cloud suggested they do this again.

"Thanks for dinner Seph," Cloud said.

"Thank you for coming," Sephiroth said. Then he bent down and pressed his lips against Cloud's cheek. He realized what he was doing and pulled away before he could do anything else.

"You missed," Cloud said. Sephiroth blinked. Cloud had to stand on the tops of her toes to kiss him back, but she managed it. Sephiroth bent down to make it easier. He realized he was going to swoop her up and carry her back and broke away. Cloud smiled and entered the barracks alone.

Sephiroth touched his mouth. Cloud was soft and sweet, like he had imagined.

Cloud remained calm until the door shut before completely freaking out. Why had she done that? Sephiroth was her friend and she had gone and kissed him and it was...

It was everything she hoped it would be.

But she knew Sephiroth, her Sephiroth that didn't quite understand everything. The older boy that looked up to her to guide him through some fairly simple social ques. The one who accidentally stole her first kiss when she initiated a hug. Back then, she had brushed it off, literally.

But what if Seph took this the wrong way? She didn't want to lose her friend just because of an impulse.

"How'd it go Spikey?" Cloud jumped at the voice to her left. She was in a fighting stance when she faced Zack.

"Godammit Zack, I've asked you not to do that!" she said.

"Sorry," Zack shrugged, "so how was the date?"

"It wasn't a date it was a dinner," Cloud said.

"Same thing," Zack said.

"Many dates can include a dinner, but not all dinners are dates," Cloud shot back.

"Touché," Zack said, "How was the dinner slash date?"

"Fine," Cloud's eyes narrowed, "What happened to that mission?"

"They didn't need me after all," Zack said.

"Why do I feel like you're lying to me?" Cloud asked suspiciously.

"You know Sephiroth likes you?" Zack said. It was so far off subject that it took Cloud by surprise.

"...What?"

"Sephiroth likes you," Zack said, "I mean he normally doesn't do anything not work related and he never asks people over for dinner."

"We were friends," Cloud started.

"And you picked up right where you two left off," Zack said, "Has he kissed you yet?"

"What?" Cloud choked.

"I'll take that as a yes," Zack said. His face turned suddenly serious. "He didn't force it on you, did he?"

"Zack, no," Cloud said, "I...I kissed him." She winced as she admitted it. Zack brightened.

"Excellent," he said.

"Are you setting us up?" Cloud said.

"Look Cloud..." Zack said, "You're an only child right?"

"Well yeah but-"

"I think of you like the sister I never had," Zack said, "and as your big brother it is my job to make sure that no guys try anything funny with you. Any man you hang out with needs my seal of approval."

"First of all, you're not my brother," Cloud said, "second, Sephiroth is your boss and third, you're the one pushing us together."

"Exactly!" Zack said, "Sephiroth has my seal of approval and I'm letting you know."

"I'm going to bed," Cloud said.

* * *

Sephiroth couldn't shake his foreboding about Cloud. He had watched enough of her training to know she was more than capable of caring for herself and that she was in good hands with Lieutenant Fair.

But he saw the stares. People watching her with lust in their eyes, with malcontent to her presence. It made him fidget with the urge to take Cloud somewhere where those eyes and minds wouldn't touch her.

Even Zack, who never overstepped his boundary and served as a buffer, was viewed as a threat in his eyes.

"Mornin' boss!" the man himself said.

"Lieutenant Fair," Sephiroth said, managing to keep the growl from his tone.

"So..." Fair began, "Was I right about Cloud?" Sephiroth's eyes sought out the young woman, listening to a story from one of Zack's friends.

"She is quite talented," Sephiroth said. It barely touched upon how he truly felt about her.

"She is," Zack said, "but every time I look at her, I still see that little fourteen-year-old girl, all thin and gangly lookin'. With that scowl on her face." Sephiroth watched Cloud smile at some joke he couldn't hear. He still saw that six-year-old in there, but the present Cloud was drowning her out. Except the scowl.

"Does she feel like a sister to you?" Zack asked, "I mean...I love her to death, but in more of a I-want-the-best-for-you-and-will-protect-you sort of way."

"No," Sephiroth said.

"Hey." Sephiroth turned quickly at the sound of Cloud's voice.

"I don't have anything to do tomorrow night," Cloud said, "Could we..."

"Of course," Sephiroth finished, knowing what she was asking.

"Your place again?" she asked.

"Whatever you like," Sephiroth replied, she smiled and promised to give him a time.

"Make sure to kiss him properly this time," Zack hissed in her ear. It was totally worth the kick to his posterior.

* * *

The next day was a sort of hell for Cloud. Not in the terrible things happened sort of way, but more of a people trying to tell her what to do sort of way.

She was told to think about using a smaller sword. Fuck that, Zack said she was built like a tank and should have a sword of the same build. Buster sword all the way!

She was told that accusations would rise the more she tried to immerse herself with men. Too bad she was a fuckin' virgin so they couldn't be true. A few of the gay couples had her back though. She liked them anyway.

The last straw was Zack attempting to get her to wear something "sluttier" (his words not Cloud's).

"I'm not outright trying to get laid," Cloud hissed angrily, "I just want to talk to Seph, kapeesh?"

"You two talk all the time," Zack said.

"Because we are friends!" Cloud replied harshly, "besides, even if Sephiroth did like me he wouldn't care what I wore over to his apartment."

"That's an excellent point," Zack said, "Oh, before you go, you are on birth control right?"

"Just shut up Zack!"

* * *

Sephiroth took a page out of Cloud's book and wore what felt most comfortable to him this time and didn't stress about appearances.

She liked him enough to come back, didn't she? He perked up at the knock at his door. He was at a loss for words when he saw her waiting. She smiled shyly back at him. She came in at his slightest gesture. He inhaled the bookish scent as it passed and noticed a faint tang of metal in addition. He liked it.

His brain barely processed the idle chit chat, but his mouth kept it up until Cloud got up the courage to talk about what was really on her mind.

"Seph...I like you," she said. Sephiroth eyes zeroed in on the blush gracing her pale cheeks.

"I like you too," he said automatically.

"No...I really like you," Cloud said turning even redder. He fell quiet, wondering if it was alright for him to smile.

"But if you don't...I want to keep being friends because I don't want to lose that and I don't want to cause a scandal and..." Cloud trailed off biting her lip, "I sound so stupid."

"You said it better than I could," Sephiroth said. Cloud looked up. He felt he should kiss her right then and there, but didn't just yet.

"But...we've been apart so long," Cloud said, "We're practically strangers."

"We've never been strangers," Sephiroth said.

"No, never," Cloud agreed after a moment of hesitation.

"I've kept every single letter you wrote to me," Sephiroth said.

"...I did too," Cloud said.

"I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen," Sephiroth said.

"Did Zack tell you to say that?" Cloud said.

"I've thought that since our first sleepover," Sephiroth said, "What about Zack?"

"He's...he's been trying to set us up," Cloud said turning red again.

"Oh..." Sephiroth said. That made him feel a lot better all of a sudden.

"I want to kiss you," Sephiroth said, "and I don't want to let you go again. I don't want you to leave tonight."

"Seph..." Cloud said, "I've never...done...that...before."

"You kissed me last time," Sephiroth said.

"Not...that..." Cloud said. He saw what she meant written in her expressive eyes and something in his chest broke a little.

Cloud moved slowly, nervously. She had heard enough about (fuck there was no eloquent way to say sex, was there?) sex to know the basics, but experience and knowledge were two very different things. She was grateful that Sephiroth didn't push her along. She knew she didn't have to do the deed, but most of her really wanted to.

Sephiroth's mind was taking him down a long spiral of victory. Out of all the other possessive eyes, voices and people, Cloud had picked him out with little hesitation. The pride and possession welling in his chest drowned out almost everything else except Cloud's touch.

She reached for his hand, just for a little assurance. He squeezed her hand softly as she laced their fingers together. The fit felt right even though Sephiroth's hand nearly eclipsed over hers.

She worried at her lip as she thought about the next step. Sephiroth made it easy for her by lifting her chin with his free hand and swooping down. Their first kisses had been short, experimental and little more than touches. This was...intimate. It was damn near exploratory and Cloud was surprised by how much she liked it.

Claim, mark, keep. That was what was going through Sephiroth's head. He had to claim Cloud right now, make her yield to him. It was going much more smoothly that he thought it would. Cloud was responding very well to his kisses. The next step would be...

Cloud answered silently by opening her mouth and slipping her tongue into his mouth. He watched her eyes slide shut as he took over the situation again.

They both knew in the back of their minds that this was hurried and sloppy, but neither tried to clean it up either. Cloud's eyes blinked back open when Sephiroth left her mouth and started kissing (or was it licking? it was hard to tell) down her jaw.

Sephiroth inhaled deeply as he began sucking on Cloud's ear. Books, smoke, a sword, and something new. They all set his senses blazing and he set harder on his task. Cloud made a surprised noise when he started sucking hard on her neck, but she pulled him closer instead of pushing him away.

Sephiroth was broad and full of muscle. Cloud wanted to be surrounded in that and these clothes needed out of the way. Feeling more confident, she started working on his shirt. In the meanwhile, he found another part of her neck to suck on.

Sephiroth only became aware of the pressure building below his waist when hands had undone his belt and were working on his pants. He paused in his marking quest to watch Cloud.

"Is this okay?" she asked. Sephiroth tugged on her shirt as a reply. She lifted her arms without question and wrapped them back around his next once freed. All of her skin was so smooth and pale. He was salivating just thinking of the taste. They had to separate for a brief moment to get rid of their pants, Sephiroth pausing to watch Cloud's jeans slide down her legs, in wonder that they actually fit her for once. Then he noticed he was nude, but Cloud had kept her underwear.

He remembered it was her first time.

"You okay?" he panted harshly.

"Yeah," Cloud said, "just nervous."

"Punch me if you need to stop," Sephiroth said and was rewarded with a small giggle. She opened her arms to him and he slid into her embrace. Kissing was getting easier, more practiced and fluid. Her skin proved too tempting and he buried his head back against her neck. His hands wandered around her back in an attempt to appear soothing. Then they made their goal clear and Cloud's bra was tossed aside.

She didn't even have a chance at modesty before she was laid on her back and arching against Sephiroth's mouth. Her brain couldn't keep track of what his mouth was doing to her, tugging her nipples, licking, sucking, mouthing kisses all over her chest until not a centimeter was left untouched.

He kept up the treatment all the way down her stomach, pausing only to rub his face against her skin in a manner that reminded her slightly of a kitten. The thought reassured her instead of alarming her. Sephiroth was marking with a scent.

With a few quick tugs the last of her clothing came off and Clout stiffened. Sephiroth started rubbing her legs with his hands and her stomach with his face.

Instead of moving back up to finish the act, Sephiroth went lover pressing and insistent kiss against-

"Seph!" Cloud gasped.

"Good?" Sephiroth asked. He sounded dazed.

"Yes," she said, then moaned when Sephiroth did it again.

"Tastes good," he murmured then tried and experimental lick. Very good, he decided and pushed her legs open a little wider so he could get more. Cloud moaned again and buried her hands in his hair. She hadn't thought the first thing he'd put inside of her would be his tongue, but wasn't complaining. She held back from pushing him further in, but he did so anyway.

"Oh!" Cloud exclaimed when she felt something a firmer push it's way in. It curled inwards and hit something that made her head loll back. She felt something drawing tight within herself and didn't quite know what would happen if it snapped, but she wanted it to.

"More," she moaned out, "please." Sephiroth did so quite happily, slipping in another finger. Cloud didn't quite feel a snap so much as a surge. Her legs trembled and her body jerked as she let out a shaky moan. She pushed away gently and Sephiroth sat up, a smug expression on his face. Cloud pulled him close to kiss that look away. He pushed her back down, a little forcefully and something bigger and warmer than fingers was put between her legs.

Cloud gasped and came to the realization that she was no longer a virgin. Sephiroth paused.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cloud said, "I...I thought it was going to hurt more." Sephiroth's expression softened a little.

"Don't wanna hurt you," he purred softly. Cloud giggled with the realization that arousal made Sephiroth a little stupid. She tried a move Zack had taught her and flipped Sephiroth over. He looked surprised for a moment then his face turned feral and Cloud's world spun several times before she was back on her back.

Then Sephiroth moved. Not a gentle little push, but a rough thrust. Cloud threw her head back and gripped Sephiroth's shoulders as he began a relentless rhythm.

His sucking had grown to nipping and then to biting. His teeth sank into her shoulders and neck with a primal urge to mark, to make sure no one else made a move on his Cloud.

Cloud felt her body tightening again, it was much more pronounced this time. It should have hurt more than it did, but each time they came together felt like a shock up her body. She wrapped her legs around Sephiroth's waist. He sat up curiously. She realized the liquid he was licking off his lips was her blood, but felt oddly fine with that.

"Don't stop," she said. He nodded and moved a little faster, a little harder. He was panting harshly, coming near the edge and Cloud moved her hips up to bring that shuddering sensation back.

She beat him to it, letting go of his neck to fist the sheets to ground herself back down. Sephiroth made a nearly pained growl and shuddered suddenly. She was still feeling tremors when he laid himself down on her, burying his face back in her neck.

Sephiroth moved off of her and got something out of a drawer nearby. He pressed kisses against seemingly random spots on her shoulders and a warmth spread through to her arms.

"I didn't hurt you?" Sephiroth asked. She realized he was curing her.

"Oh, no," she said, "I feel okay."

"Good," Sephiroth said, "I didn't mean to bite so hard."

"I didn't feel it," Cloud assured him. He laid back down next to her, laying a tentative arm across her. She rubbed her neck, starting to feel how raw it was.

"What did you do to me?" she asked. She sat up and got a good look in the mirror in his open bathroom. There was a neat line of purple blossoming just above her collarbone.

"Shiva's tits, Seph," she said.

"I...I wanted to make you mine," he said sheepishly.

"Well you didn't have to paint a collar on me!" she said. Internally she was rather pleased. The other half of being Sephiroth's was that Sephiroth also belonged to her. Still there was a problem.

"You know what people are going to say," she said, feeling the dread.

"That you slept with me to become a SOLDIER," Sephiroth said, "although it's impossible. There are several dozen people involved with that decision. I don't even know all of them. It's impossible to sleep with every person involved with the process and I only play a small part."

"Great, now tell them that," Cloud grumbled. Now would be a great time to get her clothes on and leave but...Sephiroth was so snuggly right now.

"Eventually those rumors are going to go from you slept with me to get into SOLDIER to you are sleeping with me," Sephiroth said rolling over to get closer, "If you want them to."

"Was that you asking me out for a date?" Cloud asked.

"Very badly," he agreed. She laid back down, giving into the urge.

"So what happens now?" Cloud asked.

"What do you want to happen?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud thought a long moment, weighing the pros and cons of each decision before making one.

"I want to be a SOLDIER," Cloud said, "and I want you."

"Both easily reachable," Sephiroth said, "one is actually complete."

"I want to become a SOLDIER on my own though," Cloud said, "no help from you."

"You're Zack's student so consider it done," Sephiroth said, "I control Midgar." She nodded.

"What about you?" she asked. Sephiroth bit his lip.

"I want you," Sephiroth said. She nodded, prompting him to go on.

"I...I want a family," Sephiroths said.

"You mean...kids," Cloud looked a little pale.

"Not...necessarily," Sephiroth said. (That was a lie, he wanted kids. He wanted little girls to spoil rotten, but they would have to be born after Hojo died). "You're family enough right now." Cloud relaxed, already planning to postpone that as long as possible.

"I don't care what is said about us," Sephiroth said, "I love you."

Instead of chastising him for not knowing what it meant Cloud smiled. "I love you too," she said. She moved a little closer. Sephiroth shifted to hide his body's reaction. He didn't want to pressure her so soon.

"You want to do it again?" Cloud asked.

"Oh gods yes," Sephiroth said rolling them both over with a perfect kiss.


End file.
